Hector Noesi, 24-years-old in 10 days, is listed at 6-2 and 175-pounds. He was born in Esperanza, Dominican Republic and signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2004.

Pro Career

Noesi started where most Dominican players start, in the Dominican Summer League where he went 5-3 with a 1.60 ERA. He made his debut in America in 2006 in the Gulf Coast League where he had a 1.29 ERA in seven innings over five games.

That offseason he was suspended for using PED’s and was forced to serve a 50-game suspension. When he came back from suspension he was assigned to the Low-A Charleston Riverdogs. He only threw 20 innings there, where he put up a 4.50 ERA, before he needed Tommy John Surgery thanks to an elbow injury.

He came back in the second half of 2008 and pitched for both the GCL Yankees and the Shortseason-A Staten Island Yankees. At those two levels he combined for a 3.33 ERA over 48.2 innings and 14 games.

2009 was his first full season as a pro and it was an impressive one. He started at Low-A Charleston where he put up a 2.38 ERA, a 9.3 K/9, and a 1.3 BB/9. Those impressive numbers got him called up to High-A Tampa where he started in just nine games over 41.1 innings. His ERA in Tampa was 3.92, but his strikeout and walk ratios remained impressive at 8.7 and 0.9 respectively.

In 2010 Noesi started the season in High-A Tampa. His numbers were impressive there so he was moved up to Double-A Trenton before too long. His ERA jumped from 2.72 to 3.10 there and for the first time his K/9 dropped below 8.0 (it was 7.8).

By the end of the season, mostly out of necessity because of injury, he was promoted to Triple-A Scranton. There he struggled a bit, but it was just over three starts and 18.2 innings. There his ERA was 4.82, his K/9 fell to 6.8, and his BB/9, while still impressive, was the highest it had been since he was in Staten Island at 1.9.

Noesi also played in the All-Star Futures game in 2010.

Scouting Report

I got a chance to see Noesi pitch while he was with the Staten Island Yankees and he never really stood out to me. He was good, but he didn’t exactly light up the radar gun as he sits in the 90-93 mph range and only occasionally hits 95-96. He also didn’t have a plus pitch that really stood out.

That’s pretty much where he is now. He sits 91-94 topping out at 96 at the highest. He also throws a fastball, curveball, and changeup. None of them have amazing break or anything. What Noesi does is he pitches with amazing command. His career BB/9 is 1.6 which is amazing for a young starter. His 8.9 K/9 without a very good plus pitch also speaks to his pitchablity. This guy knows how to pitch without Dellin Betances‘ curveball or Manuel Banuelos‘ changeup.

2011 Outlook

Noesi struggled a little more each time he jumped a level last season so he’s not quite ready for the majors yet. His innings also jumped from 117 in 2009 to 160 in 2010. If he was in the majors that would earn him a spot on Tom Verducci’s Year After Effect list, meaning the Yankees have to take it easy with this pitcher who has already had one Tommy John Surgery.

That said, if the Yankees need a pitcher, he’ll be on the short list as one of the first ones they would call up. It does depend on how quickly he adjusts to Triple-A. His struggles last season could have had more to do with how many innings he had thrown at the time rather than struggling to adjust to tougher hitters. If that turns out to be the case and he pitches well in Triple-A, the Yankees could call upon him sooner rather than later.

He is currently on the 40-man roster which makes it easier for the Yankees to call him up.

About Rob Abruzzese

Rob Abruzzese created Bronx Baseball Daily in 2008 just before graduating from Brooklyn College. He currently serves BBD as its editor and works as a reporter at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Follow Rob on Twitter @RobAbruzzese.